Yusei Kikuchithrew 52 pitches in the bullpen yesterday. He is expected to pitch one inning in relief immediately after Oishi. Kikuchi told reporters that he was really excited to pitch against the team he used to buy a lot of memorabilia

The Giants will most likely have all their core players in the starting line-up today, including Hayato Sakamoto, Michihiro Ogasawara, Alex Ramirez, and Shinnosuke Abe. And while they'll 22 position players on the roster during their two games at Tokyo Dome against the Seibu Lions, they will probably leave at least 4 of them when they hit the road. The four that stay will be sent down to Ni-gun to play in games and to continue their training.